The Congress party is celebrating the elevation of Justice Surya Kant as the 53rd Chief Justice of India (CJI). Justice Kant, who took his oath on Monday, November 24, 2025, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, succeeds Justice B.R. Gavai. He is set to serve a term of approximately 14 months, retiring on February 9, 2027.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge hailed Justice Kant's appointment as a moment of profound significance for the nation's judicial landscape. Kharge expressed confidence that under Justice Kant's leadership, constitutional values, institutional strength, and public trust in the rule of law would be further reinforced, advancing the promise of justice for every citizen. He noted that Justice Kant's stewardship comes at a time when the judiciary's constitutional guardianship faces renewed tests.

Several other Congress leaders have also lauded Justice Kant's elevation. Randeep Surjewala, a Congress Member of Parliament (MP) from Haryana, described it as a historic and proud moment for every Haryanvi. He emphasized that Justice Kant's rise to the top judicial post, from a small village in Hisar, is a tribute to his humility, perseverance, and dedication, reflecting the power of courage, belief, and hard work. Kumari Selja, another MP, also acknowledged Justice Kant as a "son of Hisar, Haryana".

Justice Kant's career has been marked by a commitment to upholding constitutional values and a human-centered approach. He has been involved in several landmark verdicts and orders, including those related to the abrogation of Article 370, gender equality, free speech, and corruption. Some of his notable rulings and contributions include:

• Abrogation of Article 370: Justice Kant was part of the bench that upheld the central government's decision to remove Jammu and Kashmir's special status.
• Sedition Law: He was on the bench that put the colonial-era sedition law on hold, directing that no new First Information Reports (FIRs) be registered until the government completed its review.
• Pegasus Spyware Case: Justice Kant was part of the bench that examined allegations of unlawful surveillance through Pegasus and ordered the formation of an independent committee of cyber experts.
• Gender Justice: He reinstated a woman sarpanch who had been unlawfully removed, calling out gender bias in the process and highlighting the need to protect grassroots democracy. He also directed that one-third of seats in bar associations, including the Supreme Court Bar Association, must be reserved for women.
• Corruption: Justice Kant has repeatedly emphasized that corruption is a serious societal threat. He ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigation into cases involving alleged fraud that impacted homebuyers.

Justice Kant began his legal career as a small-town lawyer after studying law in Haryana. He secured first rank in his Master's program at Kurukshetra University in 2011. He was appointed as the youngest Advocate General of Haryana on July 7, 2000, and designated as a senior advocate in March 2001. He served as Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court before being elevated to the Supreme Court in 2019.

Justice Kant has identified clearing the Supreme Court's growing backlog of cases, which currently number over 90,000, as his top priority. He believes that mediation could be a game-changer in addressing this challenge. On his first day as CJI, Justice Kant established a new norm requiring that requests for urgent case listings be made in writing, with oral requests only being entertained in extraordinary circumstances.